We wrote Monday about some of the imaging related changes that Apple announced with the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 8, at its annual developers event WWDC. Now that users have had a day or so to play with the beta version of iOS 8, a few more photo features have been discovered that were not mentioned in the keynote. Here’s a quick summary. Read more
A new firmware updated for the Ricoh GR adds a ‘High Speed’ AF mode and claims to improve operational performance for aperture preview. Other additions include a ‘Shift Crop’ effect mode designed to reduce perspective distortion by removing a portion of vertically-oriented images, and improved stability when connecting via USB to a Mac. Read more
If you’ve always wanted a Hasselblad camera, but found the real thing too bulky and the rebadged Sony cameras too ridiculous, smartphone manufacturer Vertu has just given you another option. Vertu’s latest model, the Signature Touch, comes with a “Hasselblad-certified” camera. Despite a vague statement that Vertu has worked with Hasselblad to “perfect the image tuning of the camera onboard Signature Touch,” it’s almost certainly using a standard 1/3-inch CMOS sensor. Read more
FashionPhotographyBlog.com is delighted to have Tim Engle joining us today. The Sacramento based commercial, fashion and beauty photographer started his photography journey during his school years and since has turned his passion into a full-time occupation, getting paid to do what he loves to do. Transitioning between commercial photography, to portraits, fashion to avant-garde, he prioritizes his dedication firstly to his family, as husband and father, with creative direction and photography close behind. Tim took some time to share insights into his winning Photo of the Week entry entitled “Fashion Clown” and his background as a photographer.
As mentioned above, Tim Engle started photography at a fairly young age, but did you know he used it as a way to deal with social shyness at school, he explained, “I have had a camera in my hand since middle school. I was extremely shy and I think it was kind of a shield for me, which made it easier for me in social situations. I ended up studying sports science and art in college with the thought of going into coaching. Over time, photography just consumed my life.”
So if a camera did not pass Tim’s way when he was at school, we would be speaking to a sports coach, rather than a winning photographer for Photo of The Week. We are so glad that that he chose the photography route, otherwise, the winning photo of “Dark Humor” week, this avant-garde piece of creativity would not have been created. But how did the idea come about? The photographer’s answer was, “That was a funny set of images. I had this image of a clown in my head for years. I’ve also been fascinated by people’s reactions to clowns. The opportunity arose to shoot at this great location, which was an old abandoned boys’ reformatory institution and I just started putting the pieces together. I had a great team with all the ingredients and I knew we would put something out very different that day.”
To create the shoot, Tim explained that the shoot set up was not overly complicated, he detailed that “That set of images was very low tech. The location had wonderful sun streaming through the windows. So majority of the lighting was from reflected light and mirrors. I did use some shop lights with color corrected bulbs as fill. The camera for that shot was a Nikon body with a 50mm lens.”
When I asked him why he thought the reason why the shoot went so well, a basic set up to create a result that activates the imagination, he answered “I think I try and keep it simple; from lighting to environment. There was a time when I would over think things. Now I’m trying to let go and be simple.”
To find out more about Tim Engle’s work, his winning photo and other photos from the “Fashion Clown” you can click here, Fashion Clown, or visit his website www.Englephoto.com or email tim@englephoto.com
Currently, we have another round of Photo Of The Week running. To participate in the voting, make sure you “like” our Facebook page here and vote for your favorite photographer‘s photo out of the finalists in the comments section of the post. The photo with the most vote’s by the end of the week at Sunday midnight will win Photo of the Week and win the great prizes on offer.
Since FashionPhotographyBlog.com is Google’s #1 site on fashion photography in the world, you might be interested in entering our Photo of The Week competition. This could be your entry to some great exposure if you submit your photo and win. To find out more details on how to enter, make sure you join our mailing list. We will send you the entry details via your email. As a reminder, voting ends at the end of the week so make sure you get voting on our Facebook page here.
What do you think of Tim Engle’s “Fashion Clown”. We want to know what you think. Tell us in the comments below, do you agree with how this week’s voting outcome? What is your critique on this photo? We want to hear from you!
Tim Engle: “Happy Clicking!”
Nikon has revealed that it allocated ¥1.8bn (~ $ 17.6m / £10.5m) to cover the cost of warranty repairs and replacements for its D600 SLR in the last financial year. The camera has been plagued since its launch by a tendency to accumulate oil spots on its sensor, resulting in Nikon offering to replace the shutter mechanism or even the entire camera for free if necessary. In an investor relations statement on its website, the company says that it is taking the matter very seriously, and ‘will be taking steps to restore confidence in the Nikon brand’.
The Sony a6000 offers some considerable advantages over its Sony NEX-6 predecessor. It has a 24.3 megapixel APS-C sensor and an updated hybrid AF system with 179 phase-detect and 25 contrast-detect points. Also included is a built-in 1.44 million-dot EVF and a tilting 3.0-inch display with 921,600 dots. With an impressive AF system, fast 11 fps continuous shooting with subject tracking and lots of extras, the a6000 is poised very competitively in the mirrorless class. Read the review
A pair of scientists and experts in photomicrography have been using an unusual new tool in their research – a Nokia Lumia 1020. Taking advantage of the device’s mobility, image stabilization and high pixel-count camera, they’ve used it with a state-of-the-art microscope to help digitally zoom in for a better view of detail of bacteria. Read more
The Vanguard Heralder 51T combines the conveniences of a backpack with the travel-friendliness of a rolling case. At almost ten pounds it’s no day bag, but it is equipped with loads of compartments and pockets, a large removable interior tray, tripod sling, laptop storage and a rain cover. Is it the best of both worlds, or would you be better off with a dedicated backpack or roller? Read our review
Phase One has announced a new leaf shutter lens for its 645 camera platform. The new Schneider Kreuznach 40-80mm LS f/4.0-5.6 joins the existing Schneider Kreuznach 75-150mm f/4.0-5.6 leaf shutter zoom lens, and allows for flash synchronization up to 1/1000sec. Supposedly on a par with prime lenses in terms of critical image quality, the new lens is available now for $ 8990 / €6990. Click through for the press release
As we’ve come to expect, Apple is using its annual developers’ conference in San Francisco to announce new versions of its desktop and mobile operating systems. Along with a host of refinements in iOS 8 is a revamped Photos app, with improved native retouching options, better search, more complete iCloud integration and support for third party retouching apps as ‘extensions’. Click through for more details.